


You Still Have All of my Heart

by raynquility



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-04-24 19:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14362164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynquility/pseuds/raynquility
Summary: Non-canon version of Luka Couffaine being introduced to the Miraculous World.Luka and Marinette have been best friends for life, until one day...they weren't. When Luka comes back into her life, how will Marinette juggle her feelings for Adrien and Luka?A lot has changed since Luka left for California two years ago, but one thing remains the same, he's still madly in love with a certain blue-haired girl.





	1. He returns...

Marinette woke to the sound of her alarm ringing noisily on her bedside table. She rolled over and reached her arm out to turn it off. Instead of going back to sleep she stretched her body out and jumped outta bed with enthusiasm. She went to the bathroom in her room and decided, since she had more than enough time, she was gonna put a little extra effort into her look today. Sure, today was Monday and there wasn’t any special occasion but she figured, _hey I’m never on time so why not. _After turning on the curling iron she began to part her hair into sections and began curling strands of hair into loose beach curls. Once she was done she still had a little over an hour until she had to leave for school. _Wow I really woke up early Marinette mused._ Feeling bold she made the decision to add some winged eyeliner and red lipgloss to her every day makeup look. Satisfied with her appearance she quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to the bakery to grab the croissants her father made for her classmates.__

____“Morning papa! Morning mama! Have those croissants for my friends?” She said cheerfully. Her parents smiled at her and took in her look. Sabine gasped happily. “My my my Marinette don’t you look gorgeous! Is there any specific reason you look extra radiant today? It’s not Adrien’s birthday, is it?” Mari immediately turned scarlet red and began stuttering. “N-no that’s not—I mean I just—I—I woke up early and thought why not celebrate that?! It rarely happens! Hehe gotta go thanks for the treats dad! Bye!” She rushed out of the bakery while her parents gave each other a knowing look before going back to work._ _ _ _

____Marinette was able to catch the bus so she had a little downtime before she got to school. A little ring coming from her purse caught her attention and she saw a text from Alya on her lock screen._ _ _ _

**Alya: Girl! You have to get to school ASAP! There’s a surprise waiting for you ;)**

____Instantly Mari’s heart kicked into over drive. What could the surprise be? It wasn’t her birthday? Was it Adrien with a bouquet of flowers, ready to confess his undying love for her? Wait, no. No that can’t be right. Adrien didn’t love her how could he? She was just a friend after all. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she typed out a reply to Alya._ _ _ _

____She arrived to school and before she could even make it to the steps Alya pulled her to the side of the stairs hastily._ _ _ _

____“Woah girl you’re looking extra fine today! And perfect day to do so!” She shrieked._ _ _ _

____“What’s going on Alya? What’s the surprise?” Marinette questioned seeing the obvious excitement in her best friend._ _ _ _

____“So Juleka tells me Adrien hasn’t been the only boy in your life,” Alya wiggled her eyebrows at Marinette. After seeing the look of confusion on her face still Alya sighed in frustration. “Juleka told me how you had a major crush on her older brother before he left for a student exchange program in the US two years ago!”_ _ _ _

____The gears in Marinette’s head began to turn. Flashbacks of blue-black hair and gorgeous blue eyes came to her._ _ _ _

____“Luka,” she whispered to herself. Why would Juleka mention brother to Alya? Were they talking about siblings in general or did something spark the conversation? Did Alya know the _whole _story?___ _ _ _

______Before Marinette could say anything Alya squealed as she turned Mari around, “Surprise Marinette!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Standing a mere five feet away from where she and her bff stood was none other than Luka. He was surrounded by all of Juleka’s friends, most of which were giving him hugs and lots of welcome backs. He had grown since the last time Marinette had seen him. He was no longer lanky but quite fit. His hair wasn’t to his shoulders anymore but rather cut short with a bit a fringe just above his eyebrows. Everything else, down to the obvious awkwardness of his stance, was exactly the same._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Luka! Please you have to tell us all about America and the people and the food and the atmosphere. Do they really have a Starbucks on every corner?” Rose spoke enthusiastically. Luka shuffled his feet nervously and grew a deeper and deeper shade of red with every question thrown at him. Alya and Mari made their way to the front of the steps and just as Luka was going to make a babbling fool of himself, she caught his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______Never had someone’s demeanor changed so quickly. Luka went from nervous wreck to suave in point two seconds. “Sorry guys I’ll be sure to catch you all up to speed soon but…there’s some unfinished business that I need to tend to,” Luka spoke clearly, his eyes never leaving Marinette’s. His slow stroll over to Mari seemed to have her in a trance because Alya had to practically push her over with her elbow to make her realize Luka was speaking._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Marinette…I’ve missed you Baby-bug,” Luka’s voice sounded as sweet as honey. “I—I’m hoping we can talk privately?” He stared pointedly at Alya._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Oh! Oh you don’t have to tell me twice lover boy. I’ll just be on my way to find my boo,” Alya winked as she squeezed Mari’s hand in encouragement. Once she was out of earshot and everyone had scattered about, Luka reached for Mari’s hand like he use to when they had serious conversations before._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Wow Mari you look—wow just…wow. Uh sorry Baby-bug I—I…gosh this is harder than I thought it would be,” Luka bit his lip in frustration._ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette squeezed his hand. “Hey, c’mon now Pup…you know you can always tell me anything.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Just as Luka was beginning to speak again a flash of blond caught Mari’s eye. Coming out of his car was Adrien Agreste, the other boy in Marinette’s life._ _ _ _ _ _

______Adrien’s eyes were looking towards the steps of the school. He immediately saw Marinette standing with a rather tall and physically fit boy with blue-black hair that he didn’t recognize but reminded him of someone. He smiled at them but it quickly fell once he looked down to see their fingers intertwined. Something wound up in his chest and constricted it in an odd manner he had never experienced before. Well he had, but that was only with…no this was Marinette for crying out loud. She was only a friend._ _ _ _ _ _

______The ball rang signaling they both had to get to class. Luka sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I gotta go Baby-bug but we’ll talk after school?” Mari nodded and Luka smiled down at her. “Hopefully I get to see you in class today,” he said matter of factly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No way you go here now?! Ah that’s so exciting Pup! See you later!” She blew a kiss at him and he fake caught it and held it to his heart. Marinette giggled before walking up the stairs and headed toward class._ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Jealous!Adrien (but not really)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is jealous...but why? *cue the "she's just a friend" clip here*

Adrien’s eyes stayed on the spot where Marinette and the unknown boy stood only moments before. He walked in a daze towards the classroom door. He looked up when he heard her laughter floating in front of him. Something about her seemed different but he never paid much attention to how Marinette looked, he only saw her as a friend after all. But now that he really looked at her, she wore her hair down in waves instead of her normal pigtails. Her lips were a vibrant red instead of their usual soft pink. Wait—what? Since when did Adrien notice the color of her lips? Since forever, you idiot, his mind chided. He shook his head in frustration. Marinette stopped in front of him flanked by Alya and Nino on her left.

“Uh hi Adrien morning good you to—Uh I mean! Good morning uhh to you! Mornings are good!” She fumbled around bringing a smile to Adrien’s face. “Good morning Mari,” he used the nickname he heard the dark haired boy use. To his delight a deep red blush spread across her freckles cheeks. They all shuffled into the room as Ms. Bustier began taking roll. Once the last name was called Ms. Bustier announced the arrival of a new student. Everyone’s eyes went immediately to the door and in came in the boy that Adrien had seen holding Marinette’s hand on the steps earlier. His demeanor was shy but excited.

“Go on tell us your name and something about yourself,” Ms. Bustier prompted.

“Uh, right. Well my name is Luka, most of you know me as Juleka’s twin brother. I play guitar and I’m in a band?” He said the last part looking towards Marinette. Her eyes were soft and kind. She nodded her head in encouragement. Luka’s smile shaped from shy to confident as he kept eye contact with Mari. “Why don’t you go have a seat next to Ivan?” the teacher instructed. Luka’s face fell into confusion as he broke the staring match he was having to look at the teacher.

“Behind me Luka,” Marinette said without hesitation. The way her words just flew from her mouth without so much as a single stutter made Adrien irritated in the most irrational way. Luka’s smile returned as he made his way to his new seat, directly behind Marinette. Nino looked over to see Adrien’s face and said, “Dude are you okay? You look like you’ve smelled some really bad cheese.” Adrien shook his head, “I’m fine!” His voice shook nervously but he hoped the fake smile he gave Nino would suffice. Nino shrugged and faces toward the teacher who began speaking again.

“Alright class today we’ll be starting a new English project. The assignment is to write a sonnet with someone that has two different themes but still tie together. Since the group project worked out so well last time I’m going to be picking your partners again.” Ms. Bustier began pairing off people together and was met with objection when the first pair was announced.

“Me with Rose?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Chloe screeched. Ms. Bustier sighed heavily, “Chloe calm down. I picked these partners based on how different your personalities are. I want this sonnet to come from clashing personalities so it’s true to the assignment is all. Now I’ll continue without any further interruptions okay?” She looked pointedly at Chloe. Chloe huffed and crosses her arms in anger. Ms. Bustier continued, “Kim and Max. Juleka and Sabrina. Ivan and Mylène. Alya and Alix. Nino and Kagami. Adrien and Nathanael. Those are the partners you may begin with the assignment.” Marinette raised her hand, “Uh Miss? You didn’t give me a partner?” Ms. Bustier chuckled softly, “Excuse me Marinette my apologies. You were paired with Lila but seeing as she’s on vacation with her parents this month it seems I forgot to put you in a group.” She picked up the list of students to read over them quickly. “Aha!” She said. “You can be partners with the new student Luka! It works out perfectly. There now you all may begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ms. Bustier is a precious cinnamon roll we all must protect her but tbh I wrote her hella shady in this chapter lmao


	3. Here come the feels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say the past always comes back to haunt you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES AT THE BEGINNING BC I NEED TO WARN Y'ALL ABOUT THE FEELS. I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS I WANT YOU TO KNOW I LEGIT CRIED WHEN I WROTE THIS! PLS DON'T HATE ME ILY <3

Marinette sat in her seat as her eyes followed the puff of black walking toward her seat. She tried her best to keep any emotion from showing on her face. Grateful as she was to not have the president of the ‘I hate Ladybug’ club she wasn’t so sure if this was any better. After the initial excitement of having Luka back home, memories of the past came flooding to her mind; memories that she fought so hard to keep tucked away. He sat down next to her with an easy smile and that was more than she could take.

“Ms. Bustier may I go to the bathroom?!” Mari shouted as she quickly stood up, her eyes wide open. Everyone turned to stare at her sudden outburst. Ms. Bustier gave her a quizzical look but motioned for her to go. Mari was out the door before anyone could react, including Luka, who just sat there as his previous smile fell completely.

Marinette hid in the first stall she could open. She groaned loudly as she slid on top of the toilet seat. She put her head between her knees. Tikki peaked out from her hiding spot inside Marinette’s purse.

“Marinette?” she said carefully. “Are—are you alright?” A wave of fresh tears began streaming down Mari’s face. Tikki gasped.

“No,” she choked. “No Tikki I’m not alright.” She began sobbing, trying with everything in her to keep the memory of that day away.

Tikki spoke softly, “Marinette it’s okay. You don’t have to keep fighting. I’m here to help you whenever you fall apart.” And with that, the memory crashed into her head like a train.

_It was just another day at school. It should’ve all been good. Sure her best friend who she was secretly in love with was avoiding her and she could tell. But it was a normal day right? Before she could set off to find him and ask him what was up Nathanael walked up to her, standing a little too close._

_“Oh hey Nat, hey have you seen Luka anywhere? I feel like he’s ignoring me for some reason,” she inquired to the tomato headed boy._

_Nathanael looked into her eyes, “Oh he’s probably avoiding telling you that he’s leaving to the U.S. on that foreign exchange program next week,” Nathanael said matter of factly. The world had suddenly stood still, time slowed and all Marinette could think was ‘he’s leaving he’s leaving he’s leaving.’_

_“Marinette? Are you alright?” Nat waved his hands in front of her face to no avail._

_Before he could ask her what he so desperately wanted, Mari took off running in the direction of the hidden garden the janitor made between two buildings. It was the spot that Marinette and Luka always met when they just needed to be alone together. It was the first place Marinette realized she was madly in love with Luka. Just as she made it to the garden she could see Luka trying to quickly duck into there. Filled with confusion and rage Marinette ran over to Luka before he could make it all the way in, leaving them exposed to everyone. She grabbed him by his arm and looked into his startled eyes._

_“Luka Couffaine is there something you’d like to tell me?!” She accused._

_Luka’s eyes grew wide and he began to stutter out a reply, “Me? Ah t—tell you—you something? Pfft uh no wh—why who said that?”_

_Marinette could tell he was lying so she persisted. “Nathanael told me something that you apparently couldn’t tell me to my face.”_

_Luka’s eye became so frightened she was afraid he was going to bolt the second he got. She took a deep breath to calm herself._

_“Luka, just…just tell me it isn’t true. Because…because if it is, this is the worst thing that could’ve happened to our friendship,” she said calmly. Luka’s eye began to glisten with tears before he blinked them away._

_His face became expressionless, something Mari had never seen on his features. “Of course it isn’t true Marinette I wouldn’t ruin our friendship like that,” he spat back at her. She flinched at his tone but smiled anyway. She pulled him into a hug that he immediately melted into. Nathanael was wrong. Luka wasn’t going anywhere. She had time. That’s the thing about hugs though, they not only hide your face; tears as well._

_A full week had passed since the last time Marinette had seen Luka. She was no stranger to his random absences every now and then but a whole week? That was unheard of; especially since he usually would text her to let her know he wasn’t going to be there and he hadn’t responded to any of her texts the whole week. Being the concerned ‘friend’ that she was, she sought out the purple haired girl who could calm her nerves._

_“Juleka? Um Luka hasn’t been here for a week and uh I know he likes to skip sometimes but he’s not answering my messages so I just wanna make sure he’s okay? Y’know cuz he’s my best friend and yeah,” Marinette awkwardly spoke._

_Juleka looked at her with disappointment. “He didn’t tell you?” Marinette shook her head slightly, fear setting into her veins. “He left to the U.S. on that foreign exchange program he applied for.” The exact words that Nat had told her a week ago replayed in her head._

_“I’ve gotta go,” Marinette whispered. Juleka tried to call after her but she was already long gone. Seeking refuge in their garden, the tears flowed without pause. Mari could literally feel her heart breaking as sobs escaped her lips. He lied to me, he lied straight to my face her mind repeating over and over to her heart. She felt her heart splitting in two as the tears continued down her face. Lies had torn apart the purest feeling she had in her life. Lies ripped her soul to shreds and she decided right then she hated them. She hated lies but as much as she tried she couldn’t lie to herself. She was still very much in love with Luka._

Luka sat in his seat completely dumbfounded. Everyone else was hard at work on their project but all Luka could think about was that fateful day two years ago.

_There was no doubt he was hiding. Hiding like a child hiding from their parent after knocking over their favorite vase. But he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t face Marinette and that made him a coward. When he handed Nathanael the letter that held his very heart he knew he had been wrong. He should’ve given it to Marinette himself. But he couldn’t go back now. All he could do was hide from the love of his life until the day ended. Every corner he saw Marinette he’d quickly go the other way. Eventually he saw Nat talking to Mari in the hallway but before he could see him give her the letter he ran off. The only place he could think of hiding in was their secret garden. That was their place, the very spot Luka realized he was incredibly in love with Marinette. Just as he was about to sneak into the hideaway he felt his arm being pulled back out into the open. ‘No not here not in the open not like this’ his mind kept repeating in his head. The bluenette’s features were contorted into anger and confusion which made him undeniably scared._

_“Luka Couffaine is there something you’d like to tell me?!” She practically yelled. Everyone turned to look directly at them. Luka’s heart flew up to his throat, leaving him no room to push out the words he knew he needed to say._

_Instead what came out was, “Me? Ah t—tell you—you something? Pfft uh no wh—why who said that?” Mari’s face grew even more impatient if that was possible._

_“Nathanael told me something that you apparently couldn’t tell me to my face,” her voiced sounded so harsh. He seriously considered making a run for it, just bolting the second he got the chance. But at the same time his heart was pounding against his chest, screaming at Marinette everything the letter contained. She released his arm and took a second to compose herself._

_She looked at him with such sincerity in her eyes it hurt. “Luka, just…just tell me it isn’t true. Because…because if it is, this is the worst thing that could’ve happened to our friendship,” she said calmly. His erratic heart stopped working suddenly. Tears rose into his eyes without him noticing. He felt as if his body was just working almost mechanically. His mind was somewhere far away. Blue eyes met even bluer eyes in a frozen moment in time._

_With an expressionless face his mouth moved without command, “Of course it isn’t true Marinette I wouldn’t ruin our friendship like that.” Mari flinched and he realized his voice came out harsher than intended. But he couldn’t help it, his heart was breaking over and over again. How could she say that? Did his feelings for her really disgust her that much? Mari then took him into her arms and his heart began working again. It beat painfully against his rib cage as tears streamed down his face. He choked back the sobs that threatened to escape from between his lips. That’s the thing about hugs thankfully, they not only hide your face; tears as well._


	4. Confrontation sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka and Marinette have a..."conversation" *cough* argument *cough* about that fateful day two years ago.

Tikki wiped the tears away from Marinette’s cheeks, nuzzling her face against them in an attempt to give Marinette some much needed comfort.

“Marinette please don’t cry anymore, you’re ruining your makeup you worked so hard to achieve,” she tried at a half-hearted joke. Marinette sniffled as her cries subsided.

“You’re right Tikki. It’s just…seeing Luka after he so cruelly lied to me and then for him to act as if no time had passed? As if he didn’t completely break my heart and trust in him? It was more than I could take.” A loud ringing abruptly interrupted whatever Tikki was about to say. Marinette pulled out her phone to see that she had a new message from a name she hadn’t seen pop up on her screen in two years.

“Luka,” she breathed. The text message read:

**We need to talk about some things Marinette. Meet me in the garden after class. Please. -Luka**

Marinette stared blankly at her phone as Tikki hovered over her shoulder to read the message received.

“So? Are you going to meet up with him?”

Mari locked her phone and shook her head to clear it. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Tikki. I don’t want to hear more of his lies.”

“But what if they aren’t lies Marinette? I think you deserve some type of closure at least,” Tikki reasoned.

Closure? Marinette had never thought about needing closure in this situation. She had just shoved the whole ‘Pandora’s box’ so to speak into the furthest part of her mind and moved on with her life. Or so she thought. She was obviously still very affected by the whole Luka dilemma to the point where she couldn’t even be in the same room as him. No, she definitely wasn’t over him and she surely needed to be. She took a deep breath and typed out her reply:

**See you then. -Marinette**

She hit send just as the bell rang to dismiss them from school. Marinette scurried to get her things together before she could talk herself out of doing this. She walked over to the place where they’d visited a thousand times before. Marinette hadn’t been near the place in so long she half expected it to look dead and rotted, much like how Luka left her heart. To her surprise, however, the flowers were still fully in bloom and the bushes nicely trimmed. She also noticed the lack of a certain blue-haired boy. She checked her phone again to make sure she had the right location.

‘Meet me in the garden after class,’ the message read. ‘The garden’ part stung her heart a little. Luka use to call it 'their garden.’ Mari pushed away that thought as fast as it had come to her. It was after school and there she stood in the garden all by herself, probably going to be by herself the whole time. It wouldn’t be the first time Luka lied to her. Before she could get up to leave, Luka showed up at the entrance of the garden. His face was shy but determined.

“Hey,” he smiled sadly at her. His eyes looked tired and Marinette was acutely aware that her eyes must mirror his.

Composing herself, Marinette spoke, “Hello Luka. You wanted to talk?” Luka’s smile dropped as he took a seat next to her on the small bench. Muscle memory kicked in and he sat how he usually sat with Mari on the bench, his face way too close to be mistaken for platonic. They both froze at the sudden closeness, something neither have done in years but somehow their bodies didn’t forget. Mari only had to move every so slightly and—. It took everything inside of her to pull back and make as much space as she could possibly could on the tiny bench. Luka’s eyes widened in surprised but then he just coughed to clear his throat at the awkwardness of the situation.

With a heavy sigh he broke the silence, “I’m sorry Marinette. When I left…I never meant to ruin our friendship before leaving. I just—I needed you to know.” She looked up at him, growing angrier with each word he spoke. “Anyway it doesn’t matter anymore. i just want us to go back to the way things were before.” Marinette’s usual calm demeanor finally broke with a wave of anger.

“Back to the way things were?! How—how could you think that’s possible after what you did Luka?!” She said incredulously. She was so angry, so undeniably anger. Her small frame practically shook with every word she spoke. Luka’s face hardened as he rose up from the bench to look down onto Marinette.

“I’m sorry my feelings for you disgust you so much Princess,” he spat at her. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t know what happened to you, nor do I care, but I don’t want to be friends with somene who doesn’t even try to forgive me for falling in love with them!” He turned on his heel and began walking away.

None of this made sense. Luka…in love with her? Is that what he thinks she’s referring to? She had no idea? How did this get so confusing. Marinette closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get her thoughts straight. When she opened her eyes she found herself alone once more. In a panic she jumped from her seat and sprinted out of their hideaway. Luka was making his way towards the front of the school. “Wait, Luka!” Marinette cried. Everyone turned to look at Marinette but she couldn’t see anything else but the blue-haired boy walking away from her; not even the blonde boy who stood to the left of her, his eyes hyper focused on the bluenette. Luka walked slowly over to her and she to him. They met in the middle of the courtyard. “Wha—what do you mean you're—youre in l—love with me, Luka?” She choked back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes again.

Luka chuckled darkly, his features void of any emotion, “Oh sure why don’t you just rub it in Marinette?” His anger got the best of him and before he could stop himself he put his face dangerously close to Mari’s. With as much venom as he could muster he spoke directly to her face, “I mean that I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’ve loved you before I even knew what love was. Every waking moment I think about you Marinette. You’ve become the very air I breathe. I miss you even when you’re right next to me.” His façade faltered with every word he spoke as a treacherous tear slid down his cheek. His anger desperate to come back into its rightful place grabbed onto her shoulders and his fingers dug into her skin. Marinette gasped at the sudden pain but kept her ground as tears fell onto her open lips. Everything was too much. The people, the air, the touching; it threatened to explode in the worst possible way.

Luka looked into her bluebell eyes again, “I loved—no. I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I always have…and even if you don’t feel the same, I always will,” he sobbed into her shirt, his anger fizzling out. He let go of her shoulders and his arms hung limp around her waist.

Tears stained her cheeks as she held the shaking boy in her arms. “Oh Luka. Oh Luka I love you too. Why didn’t you ever tell me Luka?” She repeated his name over and over, almost afraid she might forget it again if she didn’t. Luka…her very best friend, her secret love…loved her back? Was she dreaming? Surely it’s another lie, she thought. It had to be. There was no other explanation. And yet her heart swelled with hope; a hope long since forgotten rekindled into a fiery flame once more. Luka pulled away from Mari and looked at her confused.

“Mari, I’m saying exactly what I told you in my letter.”

“What letter are you talking about?” She replied just as confused.

“The one I gave to Nathanael to give to you. I was—uh too nervous to do it myself so I made him do it. Did you—did you not read it?” His voice cracked. The thought of Marinette rejecting his love without even knowing the full extent of it tore a new hole in his heart.

“But Luka…he never gave me a letter. He—he just told me that you were leaving when I asked him why you were avoiding me. So when I asked you about it you said you’d never do that to our friendship and I was so relieved because that meant I still had time to tell you how I really felt. But—but then you actually did leave and—and you didn't—didn’t even say goodbye,” she cried, remembering all too well how badly it had hurt to be lied to in such a cruel way; by someone she loved no less.

Luka froze, his hands dropping from Marinette’s waist. “Marinette,” he spoke seriously. “I need you to tell me what happened after I left. Did—did Nat ever tell you the truth?”

Mari stared into Luka’s eyes, still reeling from the confession. After getting her thoughts together she began recanting the events that transpired shortly after Luka’s departure. “No Luka he never told me any of this. After—after you left, Nathanael got akumatized and revealed his crush to me and well with the help of Chat Noir we—” Her sentence was cut off when Luka yanked her into a bone-crushing hug. He was mumbling something into her hair that she couldn’t quite make out. She pushed him back slightly, “Luka? Luka what’s wrong? What are you saying?”

Luka held her at arms length, staring into her eyes with sudden realization. “It’s you, Marinette. You—you’re the girl Nathanael was crazy about, the girl he told me he could never have. Now I understand why he said he could never have her. I always just thought it was because he had low self-esteem but no. It’s because he knew I was in love with you Marinette!” His voice grew louder and sped up. “Mari that’s why he didn’t give you the letter. That’s why he could never tell me the girls name! It was always you Mari, oh my god!”

If Marinette’s eyes weren’t wide already, they surely grew three times their normal size. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. Nat was her friend. Nat was practically Luka’s brother! How could he do such a thing? And then expect her to date him? He knew of her feelings for Luka! All too quickly Marinette became aware of their surroundings. She looked around to see practically the whole courtyard staring at them, including a particularly stunned tomato hair boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if this chapter is any less feel wrenching but yeah again I'm sorry if I made you cry lol <3


	5. Introducing: White Tiger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new superhero is introduced and there's something strangely familiar about him.

If looks could really kill, the daggers that Luka was sending towards Nat would've absolutely annihilated him. Luka started to walk angrily towards Nat but Marinette quickly grabbed him by the arm, very aware of his intentions but even more aware to the slight crowd that they had drawn towards them. 

 

"Luka, no please don't. We can't do this here," Mari reasoned. Luka looked at her deflated and nodded his head solemnly at her. she was absolutely right, every single eye was on them, some looking more worried than others. The pair quickly made their way towards the exit of the school, unknowingly being joined by a third party. The two walked in silence as they walked to the park that was closest to them. Before they could say a word to one another a shrill scream broke the tense silence between them. Their heads shot towards the source of the ruckus. A young woman clad in a solid gold suit that matched her gold money bag flew menacingly above the Paris streets. 

 

"I am Miss Calculated!" The woman shouted down to the cowering people below her. "And since my daddy won't give me back my credit cards I'm going to make sure no one else can buy the things I want!" She opened her bag and the pedestrian's belongings began to be sucked into it. Marinette knew she had to get away from Luka so she could transform into Ladybug but how? They just had a heated and heartfelt confrontation that they both knew they couldn't just forget about. How could she possibly make up an excuse to keep him from trying to "keep her safe" from Hawkmoth's new akuma? She scrambled through her brain to try to come up with something but before her mind could give anything for her mouth to spit out, Luka turned to her with wide eyes. 

 

"We gotta split up Mari! That way she can't catch us both while the other looks for help," he said quickly before turning on his heels and sprinting away from her. Huh well that was easier than I thought Marinette said to herself. She quickly sought out refuge in a small alleyway and transformed. "I've gotta purify this akuma fast. But where's Chat Noir?" She tried calling him on her yo-yo but she didn't get an answer. "Where are you kitty?" She tossed her yo-yo to the nearest building to try to get a good view of Miss Calculated. 

 

 

 

 

Back at Françoise Dupont, Adrien stared at the boy with red hair until he practically jumped on top of him. "Adrien you have to help me stay hidden from Marinette and Luka! Or at least come with me to talk to them please Adrien I can't face them alone," Nathanael begged. Adrien shook Nat off of him and held him at arms length. 

 

"Don't worry Nat I'm sure all they want to do is clear what really happened. I don’t know Luka that well but I know Marinette wouldn't be too unreasonable, I'm sure she'll hear your side of the story," Adrien tried to reason with Nat. The red head was visibly shaken and Adrien felt so bad for him. Sure, he wasn’t terribly close to him but after spending the entire class with him talking about their interests he found that they actually did have stuff in common. Adrien was sure he had made a new friend. But, alas, before he could try to calm Nat's nerves further they heard a loud shrill voice come from the streets of Paris. Everyone rushed out to see what the commotion was about; Alya already had her phone out and began to record. 

 

"I am Miss Calculated!" The golden covered woman shouted down to the cowering people below her. "And since my daddy won't give me back my credit cards I'm going to make sure no one else can buy the things I want!" She opened her bag and the pedestrian's belongings began to be sucked into it. Adrien gritted his teeth. Another akuma? Now? Just when both of his friends needed him so desperately. He sighed heavily as he turned to run to a place where he could transform without anyone seeing him, but he felt a hard tug on his shirt. He turned to see Nat staring at him with saucer like eyes. 

 

"Adrien we gotta get outta here come on!" The red head pulled Adrien towards the direction of the park that was nearest to their school. Adrien really needed to ditch Nat so he could transform but he held on to Adrien's hand pretty tightly. He could only imagine how scared and confused Nat must be feeling right now and that brought on a new worry for Adrien. If he didn't calm down Nat soon, Hawkmoth might just release another akuma. He had never released more than one akuma at a time but, with enough negative energy coming from someone, he might. Nat sat down inside an empty fountain with his knees up to his chin, slightly rocking back and forth. Adrien sighed as he sat down next to him. He had to make this quick. 

 

"Hey," he said gently, trying to keep his voice as soothing as possible. Nat turned his attention to the blonde boy. "I'm here for you Nathanael. We might not be super close but, with this new project we're doing together, I'm hoping we can become closer. I'll be right there with you if you want me to be, you don't have to face Luka and Marinette alone." Adrien's soft voice and his calming smile seemed to work wonders. Nat let go of his knees and took a deep breath. 

 

"Thank you Adrien," Nat smiled back at him. A sudden whoosh a very familiar yo-yo interrupted the moment. Adrien turned to see Ladybug flinging herself onto the tallest building in order to get a better look at Miss Calculated. Unfortunately, Ladybug hadn't noticed that that particular building had already been struck by the akuma victim and once she landed on top of it, it began to fall. Adrien watched helplessly as Ladybug stumbled off the building. She tried to use her yo-yo to catch onto something but Miss Calculated had taken that moment to point her money bag towards Ladybug, sucking her yo-yo into the bag. 

 

Everything in Adrien's body was telling him to transform, his body practically vibrated with it. But...he couldn't, he couldn't compromise his identity that way. Tears began to spill down his cheeks as he screamed, "LADYBUG!" 

 

 

Before she could fall to the pavement below, a blue figure swooped in and caught her in his arms. The person held onto Ladybug tightly and used his spear to bounce them back from the impact, giving them time to land perfectly on the ground. Ladybug stared wide-eyed at the person who saved her life. They had on an ankle-length blue-white hanfu attire with their matching hair pulled back into a bun. Their mask was pointed at the top and bottom with intricate markings around it. 

 

"Who—who are you?" Ladybug stuttered. 

 

"White Tiger, peased to meet you Ladybug. I'll explain everything later but for now we gotta get your yo-yo back." White Tiger grabbed onto Ladybug once more and bounded upwards, using his spear to fly over the buildings towards Miss Calculated. Once they got to a sturdy building that was close enough he looked at Ladybug seriously. "This is gonna sound crazy but I'm going to have to fling you into her money bag." 

 

"Are you insane?! I'll disappear for sure!" Ladybug was staring into his blue eyes like he was a mad-man. There was no way she could go directly into the bag without risking her life. 

 

White Tiger sighed, clearly annoyed. "No you won't. Look." He pointed towards Miss Calculated. From what she could see, the money bag seemed to be spitting out things that the akuma deemed unworthy. Ladybug's mouth went into a surprised o shape as she understood his plan. White Tiger would fling things of no value at the same time that Ladybug was in the bag, giving her an escape once she retrieved her yo-yo. Ladybug looked back to the new superhero and was surprised to see him staring at her intently. "Do you trust me?" he said suddenly. 

 

Ladybug blinked slowly. "Yes," was all she was able to say before he flung her into the money bag. Just as he did so, Chat Noir decided to take that exact moment to join them. He cried out once more before grabbing onto White Tiger's suit and pulling him dangerously close to his face. 

 

"What did you just do?!" He was so angry, so incredibly angry. White Tiger shoved him off and went right along with his plan, not bothering to answer Chat right away. 

 

"Just play along kitty, I'm White Tiger by the way," he said after he began throwing trash from the bins around them. Chat grunted angrily but obeyed the stranger. Miss Calculated was becoming more and more confused at the duo but she ignored them as she laughed at them. 

 

"You fools! Absolute fools! You've given me the greatest prize ever! I now how Ladybug and her miraculous in my possession! Now it's your turn Chat Noir!" 

 

Chat grew more and more afraid that Ladybug wasn't going to make it out, that he had lost his partner because of this new hero who had barely even acknowledged him at all. Before he could unleash his wrath upon him, Ladybug burst out of the back calling out Lucky Charm once she did so. A small box fell into her hands. Upon opening it, she discovered a solid gold brick. After taking in her surroundings she called out to her teammates. 

 

"Chat Noir! White Tiger! I need your spear and baton. We're gonna need to get close to her bag again, that's where the akuma is!" The trio ran towards the villian as Ladybug constructed a weapon out of the baton and spear. She spun the baton around like a helicopter and tossed it towards the bag along with the gold brick. The villain's bagged beeped frantically and Miss Calculated cried out, "NO!!!!" Suddenly the bag burst opened, releasing all of the items it had sucked up. Chat ran to grab his baton, using his Cataclysm he touched the bag and it disintegrated. The black butterfly was released and Ladybug purified. After using her Miraculous ladybug, she consoled the young woman and explained to her what had happened. She walked towards the boys, hands on her hips. 

 

"Alright White Tiger, are you going to tell me where you came from or are you just going to expect us to accept you without any information? How do we even know you're a real superhero and not another trick from Hawkmoth?" 

 

"I could prove it to you Ladybug but that'd compromise my identity. Unless you're both willing to let me know who _you_ are," he said sarcastically. The looks on their faces became mortified as White Tiger began to chuckle. "Didn't think so. So I guess you'll either have to trust me blindly or I can just tell you that my kwami's name is Torra and my miraculous is in this charm bracelet, whichever eases your minds." Both Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous' began beeping and they just huffed angrily at White Tiger before leaving him by himself to detransform. White Tiger sighed as he shook his head, he knew he was out of line but he was just stressed about something else entirely. After shaking himself off, he made his way towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery, taking the fastest route there. He landed onto the familiar balcony with a soft thud. 

Marinette heard the noise and immediately went out to investigate. What she saw before her both confused and annoyed her. She had just dealt with this dude not five minutes ago and she was more than ready to kick him off her balcony. But, unfortunately, she had to pretend to be curious, because, well, her identity was on the line after all. 

 

"Who are you?" She feigned being frightened. White Tiger's face softened and his demeanor became totally different than she had seen earlier. He walked over to her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. His hands were gentle and strangely familiar. She looked into his ocean blue eyes without a word. 

 

"Stripes away," White Tiger whispered barely above a whisper. His suit fell away revealing his true identity. "Hey there Mari." 

 

 

"Luka?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised an update on this on Wednesday but I forgot that my step-dad's birthday dinner was that day and I didn't get a chance to finish this chapter in time. But here it is! I know it's not the best but I'm really trying to play around with so many ideas it's hard to get it all in there and make sense haha. So ahh hope you enjoy this! <3


	6. Not really a chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SO! Um I'm sorta back?

Hi guys! So yeah I know it's been a fucking LONG time since I've updated this but to be perfectly honest with y'all...I have no idea where to go from here. Like when I started this story I had SO many ideas of how and where I wanted this story to go but...idk I just lost sight of it along the way? I'm trying real hard to dig up that raw inspiration I had when I started this fic but I just...can't. So this is my cry for help. I'm looking for a beta writer, someone I can bounce ideas off & collab with. If you're interested, my tumblr is raynquility. Message me & we'll work something out! I really am sorry for keeping you guys in the dark but hopefully one of you brave, dedicated souls out there are willing to work with my dumbass & we can make this a great fic together! Thanks for the support I love every single one of you! Until we meet again! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I'll delete this as soon as I get a beta writer & we begin writing the rest of this story*

**Author's Note:**

> This story is still very near and dear to my heart so I do plan on continuing it! Unfortunately I've got so many routes I wanna take this, it's hard for me to sort it out so bear with me on the updates babes!  
> -xoxo Rayne


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